Andre's escape plan
by ScottyBgood
Summary: Andre is a single man, looking for love. And like every single man, sometimes, he gets a bad date. He usually calls upon his best friend for help, support, and a quick bailout. However, as time moves forward, things change. Come enjoy this look at the first hint that his backup plan may not work any more. One shot.


Disclaimer: I don't own. nickelodeon, Schneider's Bakery and apparentlyNetflix have all the rights.

:}

Andre looked around nervously. 'Man, where is she?' He thought with a growing sense of panic. His date, it seemed, wasn't what he'd hoped for. It was his own fault, using his growing status as a musician and music producer to impress and win over the ladies. Sometimes, the lovely, exotic girl he met wasn't quite as demure or respectful as he'd original assumed.

Like his current date. Callie had seemed more then nice enough, sweet and exotic and ready to be swept off her feet. 'Where did things go wrong?' He asked himself. 'How did five foot six of well packed femininity turn into this terror from the dating pool?' He was left to wonder as his backup plan took forever to arrive.

"Anyways, that's about it for my short term plans." Callie said. "Once I get that business degree, of course, I'll want to re-asses, see what my options are. Plus, one never knows. Maybe one of my dates will turn out okay, and they'll have a better use for my… Skills." Her smile was suggestive. Letting the boy know this was a dangerous, sexual thing that was already thinking of the long term, even if it was just the second date. "Anyways, you were asking me what I wanted, right?"

"To eat." Andre said. "What do you want to eat. Sorry, but I wasn't asking about your life story, just what kinds of foods do you like?"

"Sorry, I just assumed, after that disaster of a first date, you were finally taking the time to get to know me." Callie snapped, somehow barely keeping her composure. "We did all the things you enjoyed, and you didn't once ask me if I liked any of those. Not saying I'm not into the occasional blues bar, or other good music. But that was the strip, strictly pay to play, and most of those bands need a good year plus of seasoning before their even remotely ready to have an audience. Honestly, I thought, for a moment, that you were one of those stuck up types, or maybe a serial monogamist, looking to get some, then get gone. If I hadn't noticed that you counted Tori Vega, singer and all around good girl, as one of your friends, I'd have passed on this second date." Her green eyes, unusual for an Asian girl, pierced him. "Was I wrong?"

"No, you're right, I'm a good guy." Andre protested.

"You just need a good woman to help keep you on the right track." Callie finished for him. "Trust me, I know the type." Her voice spoke of a mix of disdain and oddly, compassion. "My big brother was one of those. I had to sign his ass up for relationship mentoring in order to find him a woman, and what does he do? He goes and spends valentines weekend off at some on line gaming convention. Not even one he had a hope of winning! But he went and left her alone, just because he wanted that chance to play against the best. Stupid boy got himself killed the first day, and then stayed at the event to see who would win at e-sports? E-SPORTS!" She inhaled, calming herself. "If he weren't my brother..."

"Sounds like you care… A lot." Andre smiled, suddenly wishing he had a different backup plan. Having Tori come rescue him wasn't gonna cut it much longer, even if she remembered to put on her "grandma" wig to help hide her identity. Not if this girl knew about her. 'Now I need a solid plan B! Damn it, girl, you had to go and get famous right out of high school. What am I gonna do now? Who can I call to bail me outta this mess, on short notice, who won't just make things worse?'

Andre had, for a couple of years now, depended on his best friend in the world to bail him out of bad dates. He'd call, and she'd show up, act jealous, like Jade but not so over the top, and drive the poor girl away. It wasn't perfect, but it did save Dre from having to open up and admit when he was having a bad date.

Only now, Tori was getting even more famous. People knew her. The paparazzi knew what she looked like, and was on the lookout for any story they could publish to fill the dozens and dozens of hours of content that is posted on line every day. Tori getting involved in helping a friend could turn into a story about her having an affair with him. Worse, it could impact her current romance, and Andre knew better then to have some people angry at him. 'Sometimes, it's better to be married to someone this cray cray then risk a gristly death, cause damn, I couldn't imagine what horror film inspired suffering would be waiting for me if there was ever a hint I had eyes for Tor...'

"Andre, is that you?" A familiar voice asked, drawing him out of both his inner panic, and the conversation he wasn't quite having with his date. "My god, it is you? You said you'd be with your grandmother today..." The fade spoke of shock and disappointment, without the anger he knew, somehow, was about to explode.

Cat stood only feet from the boy, her dyed velvet red hair standing out in the less then crowded restaurant. "Cat?!" He exclaimed, and he wasn't acting. 'Whats she doing here? We're kinda far from her stomping grounds, so...' Honesty quickly became his best weapon. "So, what're you doing here?" His smile faltered at a thought. 'Wait, when did I tell her I'd be with my grandma…?'

"Okay, I can see it now, how that good, grandma's boy chiz is all an act." Cat growled, showing more fire as she stalked around the table. "This the reason you couldn't go to the tide pool's with me? I wanted to find some shells, maybe see a starfish."

"Cat, this isn't what it looks like." He sputtered. 'I think that maybe, she's playing along, so why not? Same act, different fake squeeze. It's all good. I just need to figure out how she knew, and remember to thank her when it's all over."

"I can't believe you'd play me like that." Cat groaned, showing a deep sorrow as she turned to face the musician. "I mean, what's she got that I don't?"

"Five inches and two cup sizes." The girl drawled, but it was obvious she wasn't amused. The look she was giving Andre sent a clear message: You own me an explanation. Her smile didn't so much disguise her displeasure as present her willingness to fight, or at least her desire not to let this stranger win.

"Oh hush." Cat said to the girl. "You and I both know, in the end, neither of those are what boys are after." She gave an unblinking moment, then added "They're looking for a girl with personality."

"Not getting any from this one, were you?" Callie asked the boy. "I can see why you'd want more. But to sneak off, try a few new girls, before ending it properly with her, that's kinda, I don't know, scuzzy maybe?"

"We weren't an item." Andre defended, feeling like maybe he didn't wanna be seen as the villain right then. 'Tori would have found a way to make me seem more manly.'

"Well..." Cat huffed, quietly making a hand motion that Andre only saw because she'd used her body to hide it from Callie. "I never…."

"Which is why he went looking for someone else." The Asian girl sniped.

"It's just..." Cat was looking for the next line, while trying to decide if this was a fight she wanted to have. "You know what? You can have him. I'm through with boys like him... no loyalty."

"Like the dog he is." Trina added, stepping up. "Well, well, well, lookee here. It's Andre." Trina turned to glare at Callie. "And you must be his sick grandmother, the reason he wasn't able to come over and cuddle to some Mackenzie Falls."

"Another one?" Callie asked, feeling less thrilled. The desire to win was now warring with the thought that maybe this boy was a player. "She's like, totally older and chiz."

"Only by a year or so." Andre said, not happy about this turn of event. 'Tori, how many people did you sand?'

Feeling like maybe he should have manned up and admitted he wasn't that into Callie, save for her obvious attractiveness, Andre debated what to say to in order to save his image, even though it was only what a girl he hoped to never see again might think. "Look, I know what this looks like, but I'm not a player." He glanced at the girls. "And how is it you even knew where I was, anyways?"

"I told them." Robbie said, announcing his presence. "You think I like getting played, Dre? Sweets, you should have come straight with me, told me you like..." His voice took on a strong air of disdain. "Girls." Somehow keeping from smirking, Rob pushed forward. "And these were just the girls I knew about, thanks to Beckett. Remember him, do you? He said you were stepping out on me, but I had to see with my own two eyes." The wanna be comedian somehow proved, once again, he could cry on demand, as barely restrained tears moistened his face. "Lucky me, Beckett is a good friend. And he knows so many people, and can get those people to help out, maybe offer us some information. You'd be amazed at just how much he was able to find out..." Brown eyes, still hidden behind glasses, hardened. "His friend, the scary brunette, she got both of... these... to give her their numbers," Robbie gestured towards the others, "and I texted. Yea, I texted, just as soon as my boy Raoul said he saw you in this section." A dark smile crossed his face. "You don't know him, Raoul, but he knows you. So when he saw you here tonight, cause he work here, he called me, and I texted around. Had to see for myself..." His pause hinted at more then just curiosity, but a strong desire for revenge.

Andre was ready to scream. 'God, make it stop. PLEASE! Just make it stop, and I won't ask my friends to do this for me, ever again. Just, don't let the next person through that door be Beck, or whomever worse they could find. And where's Sam? I swear, I'd have preferred her. At least she's hot, and blond, and female.'

"Nothing to say, huh?" Robbie asked. "Very well." He shifted to face Callie. "Girlie, good luck with this one. Give him your best, and then he's off playing the field." He glanced at Trina and Cat. "Both fields, apparently."

"Um, you know what?" Callie said. "I'm better then this. Andre, you seemed like a decent boy, but I'm not getting involved in this kind of drama. Good luck working out this chiz, and with your grandmother." A look crossed her pretty Asian face. "If she exists. Me, I'm out." She glanced up, and found the Host holding a to-go box.

"We're no strangers to this kind of… happening." The Host said, helping her pack up what remained of her dinner. "Have a nice evening."

"You Raoul?" Callie asked.

"No, but I'll give him you regards." The Host said calmly.

"Yea, thank him for saving me from getting too invested in this mess." Callie said. "And Dre, don't bother calling me again."

With that, she was gone.

For several moments, the five of them stood there, Host included, before four of them broke out laughing. "My god, that was, I don't know." The older man, the host, said. "I mean, we've had our share of drama, confrontations, and the like here, but that was straight out of some kind of prank show."

"You were in on this?" Andre asked the host.

"Yea, she put me up to it." The man said, pointing to the bar area, where Jade, sitting next to Sam, were trying to seem innocuous. "Said we were doing you a favor. Normally, I'd stay out of it, but we're telling the clientele it was a reality show, and everyone was in on it. That should calm everyone down."

Andre watched as the others, minus the Host, but including both Jade and Sam, settled in around him, ordering some food. "So, Dre, how'd you like my bailout?" Jade asked.

"Please, next time, I'll just tell them know myself." Andre told her. "I.. I didn't wanna cause a scene."

"No, you wanted it to seem like girls were fighting over you." Robbie chimed in. "Man, that was fun, Can we break up Beck and his current nightmare next? Please?"

"I kinda like her." Cat noted, but the glint in everyone's eyes screamed that maybe she should text her friend, let him know what to expect.

'Yea, good old Tori, always coming through for me.' Andre thought sarcasticly, even as he eyed a pretty girl across the restaurant, having dinner with her family. 'Man, Gotta get her number before we go...'

:}

So, thoughts?


End file.
